Gripping and holding tool for small articles



1951 v G. E. FRAZIER 2,563,677

GRIPPING AND HOLDING TOOL FOR SMALL ARTICLES Filed Jan. 50, 1947 2 576E. Frazier 21 14 w g L.

Patented Aug. 7, 1951- if UNITED TsrArss: PATENT orricls l 2,563,651.! g

came Aminomme "soon Fen scram Aar cmzs l 1; George nmnmsana Okla.Application-laundry so, 1947, Serial No. 725,320

2 Claims.

My invention relates to a handy tool for gripping, holding andmanipulating small articles such as screws, nuts, Washers, rings, wiresetc. in narrow andrestricted places, inaccessible to fingers.

One object of my invention is to provide a tool which is simple inconstruction and can therefore be produced at low cost; it is strong,small and electrically non-conductive and is therefore especiallysuitable for use in the field of radio and electronics.

In the drawing the construction 'of the tool is clearly illustratedtogether with examples of its numerous uses and applications.

Like numerals denote the same details in the different views.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of an embodiment of the invention withplane faced blades or fingers;

Figure 2- is an end view of the tool as seen from the left of Figure 1;

Figure 3 shows a straight slotted screw head held by the tool blades orfingers of Figure 1 causing a twist of the fingers when the tool isturned;

Figure 4 shows a Phillips screw head, held by said tool blades;

Figure 5 shows a nut held by the same tool blades;

Figures 6 and 7 are side elevations of opposite ends of the tool withcorrugated instead of plane adjacent surfaces;

Figure 8 is a side elevation of one end of the tool similar to Figure 2,showing the blades with opposite half round grooves or notches;

Figure 9 shows an end view of the tool in Figure 8 as gripping the endof a wire;

Figure 10 is a fragmentary side view of one end of the tool end, as inFigure 7, gripping the neck of a small machine screw.

The tool as embodied in Figures 1 and 2 consists of a flat middleportion [0 and two operating portions ll, 12 of which portion I0 ispreferably made of plastic or similar non-conductive material and havinga length to form a comfortable handle or grip for the operator. At itsleft end is inserted an operating member H of spring steel or otherstrong and resilient material, around the notched inner part of whichthe handle I0 is cast to form a rigid connection.

This member II has two blades or fingers l3 and M with straight top andbottom edges and which may also have straight inner edges at IS inFigure 1 and 2 or else corrugated or serrated adjacent edges l5 as inFigures 6 and 7. These blades or fingers l3, l4 have square ends I! andare slightly sprung apart to engage in the slot of a screw head 2| or22. The blades or fingers l3 and I 4 are integral with the member I land the fingers or blades it are integral with the member I2, each setof such blades: being provided by slitting each of the members II and I2inwardly from the outer ends thereof and at substantially the transversecenters.

In the right end of the flat handle ID in Figure l, is similarly secureda second operating member l2 with flexible fingers or blades l8 whichhave narrow tips I9, in order to grip in the opening of a ring or athreaded nut 20 as shown in Figure 5; or in the slot of the Phillips:screw head 2| of Figure 4.

When the tool is provided with corrugated fingers or blades as at IS inFigures 6 and 7, and 10 it is intended for picking up either a wire or amachine screw 23 below its head to hold it sideways as seen in Figure10, for placing it in a screw hole.

In Figures 8 and 9 is shown the construction and use of the tool whenits fingers or blades [3, II have half-round notches or grooves 24across their adjacent edges. trated in Figure 8, is shown in Figure 9wherein a fish line, a dial cord or a wire 25 is held firmly in positionfor soldering or other purpose.

Some of the advantages of this invention are the following:

The fingers l3 and It being offset, one to the other, and spread apart,take up less space in the screw head slot, than other implements whereindifferently formed and arranged fingers are employed. As a consequenceheavier material, giving greater strength may be employed. Accordinglythe tool has a very wide range or use as regards sizes of nuts, screwsand width of slot.

On account of the spreading of the finger ends I1, they will engage atthe bottom instead of at the top of the slot, thus providing a firm holdof the screw and preventing possible distortion of the top of the slot.This firm hold is increased by the fact that the finger ends becometwisted around slightly when engaging in the screw head slot, as seen inFigure 3, this grip increasing from the resistance of the screw as thetool is turned clockwise in a right hand threaded hole, or turnedcounter clockwise in a left hand threaded hole.

It is to be understood that the invention as herein disclosed may bevaried from the details The use of the tool illus- 3 described and shownwithout departure from the spirit of the subjoined claim.

I claim:

1. A tool of the class described, comprising an elongated handle, and aflat length of flexible metal extending from one end of said handle andhaving its outer end portion split longitudinally to provide coactingwork engaging portions spread apart to grip and hold the work by theadjacent opposed edges thereof.

2. A tool as set forth in claim 1, wherein the I fingers have theirinner or opposed margins close 1y adjacent to each other,; ang:Selfl'fitQd along the length thereof, the said serrations being?normally interengaged.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the tile ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 157,293 Pitt Dec. 1, 1874 408,037Miller July 30, 1889 1,442,184- Smith Jan 16, 1923 1 1575 576 Guitian"Mar. 2, 1926 1,742,278 Reid Jan. 7, 1930 1,767,296 Lewis June 24, 19302,299,838 Mays Oct. 27, 1942 I FOREIGN PATENTS i Number Country Date805,122 7 France Aug. 17, 1936 Great Britain Sept. 20, 1937

